A Tangled Web of Beauty Part 7- Learning to Do Domestic
by Starjargon
Summary: The Doctor hasn't been a parent for a very long time, so he goes to an unlikely source for advice. Hopefully, she won't slap him this time. K plus for possible scenarios.
1. Help!

**A/N- Yes, I know. Another one. But I just can't seem to help myself. This one will be ongoing, as opposed to a strictly linear storyline with a beginning, middle, and end.**

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><p>The Doctor pounded loudly on her door, a screaming Bella held precariously in his grasp.<p>

"Please, open the door- it's quite an emergency!" He was frantic as he bobbed his daughter up and down, her crying growing louder with each motion of his hands.

"Oh, please stop crying, love- Daddy has a plan to fix it." He stopped his knocking when this phrase served to only make his newborn scream louder. He moved her to his other arm as he tried in vain to pet her to calm down, failing spectacularly as he bit his lip to stop a sob escaping his own body. "My plans do so work! The Cyberman thing wasn't my fault, I didn't realize Mummy had hidden an explosive there!" He argued with his daughter, still ineffectively trying to rock her hard in a fast, frantic manner, when suddenly the door opened, and his saviour stepped out.

"Who the 'ell are you?" demanded Jackie Tyler.


	2. Question Time

Jackie took in the young, panicked man holding a very young infant outside her flat. He seemed distressed and over his head as he continued trying to- well, he was frantically bouncing the child, but she believed he was meant to be rocking her. She looked up into his face, still unsure why this oddly- appareled stranger had so vehemently knocked on her door.

"Jackie! Oh, good- it's you! Well, of course it's you, who else would it be? Though, I was slightly worried it'd be me. Or Rose. That'd take quite a bit of explaining. More so if I had opened the door. That is, younger me."

"What the 'ell are you on about? And who are you?" she repeated, the shrieks of the baby trying her nerves.

"Oh, right, the face- it's me! The Doctor. Not the Doctors you've met yet, obviously. Younger me's. Here I am, older me. With a baby. My baby. My Bella. Say hi, dear. Yes, I know you know her, but she hasn't met you yet. Wait! Oh, you sneaky woman. Of course. Explains the whispers. Right!" he interrupted himself as he watched her patience dwindle.

"Jackie- it's me," he began again, trying to speak clearly before making his request, "I'm a future version of your Doctor. It's been a few hundred years since the Tylers were in my life, and now I have a daughter." He presented the somewhat quieting infant to her scrutiny, watching as she leaned forward to take in the child. "Only, her mother and I are both new at this, well- I've done this before, but it's been about a millennia, and this is _not _like riding a bicycle. I don't know if I can do this Jackie. Her mum's exhausted, her grandparents are run ragged, and I need _help_. She won't stop crying!"

Jackie took him in for a minute, considering. She looked to the child, still wailing pathetically, then up at the new father, who was obviously stressed. Seeing the baby brought out an ache she always felt when her daughter was wandering the stars (thanks to the man in front of her), and she couldn't help but reach out a finger to stroke the child, who grabbed at it and uncoordinatedly tried to latch on. That cinched it. She just had a couple of things to ask Mr. Alien, first.

"Before I let you in my 'ouse, I have a few questions for you." She only looked up from Bella briefly to let the Doctor know she was willing to take them in.

"Okay," said the harried Time Lord.

"Why did you come to me?" she asked, eyes still on the child.

He took a moment, considering. "Because you raised one of the best people I have ever met, and so I figured you'd be the best person to help with questions about my daughter."

She smiled at the compliment to her Rose, pleased that a man who hadn't seen them apparently in centuries still thought about her child.

"One more, then perhaps I'll let you in the 'ouse." She looked up to see him nod his understanding.

"My daughter- did she die because of you? Or did she get hurt in any way because of travelling with you?"

He breathed in deeply, not sure how to respond, before his silence brought her eyes back to his.

"She was very much alive, and very happy with her life the last time I saw her." He settled on.

Jackie, after scrutinizing his face to ensure he wasn't lying, held out her arms for the baby.


	3. A Different Life

The Doctor fell onto the sofa as Jackie gently rocked and cooed to Bella, bouncing her delicately as her cries slowly quieted to soft whimpers, responding to Jackie's soft tone and far softer touch.

"There now," she said gently, "you just got a bit nervous because of Daddy's anxiety, didn't you? Nothing to worry about now, Auntie Jackie's got you. Aren't you just precious? Yes, little one. Gorgeous girl. 'ello! 'ello!" She waved, looking up to continue her conversation with the Doctor, but stopped, then smiled as she saw the Time Lord asleep exactly as he'd fallen.

She grabbed a light cover for him before taking the baby from the room to give the Doctor rest.

A half hour later found the Doctor sitting up with a jolt, "I've got her, River!" spilling from his mouth, before he looked left and right, neither his TARDIS, wife, or baby in sight. When he got his bearings after a slight moment of panic, he stood up and began exploring the small flat, looking for Bella and her makeshift guardian. He found them in a familiar room he remembered seeing several lifetimes ago, Jackie holding Bella up to show her a photo of her and Rose.

"She phones every now and then. Tells me what distant planet or star she's on. Lets me know she's still safe. She always was a curious one, my Rose. I wonder what she would 'ave been like, 'ad she just stayed 'ere."

"She still would have been brilliant," said a quiet voice behind her. Jackie looked up to see the Doctor leaning against the doorframe with a tranquil smile on his face. She smiled back at him.

"Good morning, Daddy," she said, holding his gurgling daughter up pointedly even as she smirked at him.

"Good morning, Bella mia Bella," he said, stepping forward and quietly gathering his baby in his arms once more.

"She really is beautiful," Jackie said, brushing a lock of hair away from the infant's face.

"Yeah," said the smitten, if not exhausted, Time Lord, "takes after her mother."

"And where's she, leaving 'er baby with you?" said Jackie, with a ring of accusation in her voice. The Doctor looked up to see the smile belying the tone.

"_Our_ baby, thank you very much, Mrs. Tyler. She's having a nap, more than likely. She still hasn't gotten used to the sleep schedule of having a Time Lord newborn, and considering her pregnancy… Well, let's just say she could use the rest."

"Well, this little one's welcome 'ere any time," cooed Jackie to the now- sleeping little girl. "You, on the other hand, Mr. Let Me Take Your Daughter to Who Knows What Time and Planet While You're Here Waiting Day After Day-"

"She chose to go with me!" he tried to defend himself, quieting at the end as Bella began to stir.

"And you let 'er," said Jackie softly.

"Well… she was my best friend. It's not like I was just going to send her away. Besides, I kept her safe. Mostly."

"Aliens, in Downing Street," she argued.

"We survived."

"Well, this is the third face I've seen of yours. That means since I've met you, you've died at least two times!"

"Yeah, but I managed not get Rose killed!" Jackie removed his daughter from his arms as his tone made the baby stir in irritation.

"Shh, it's alright, little one. Your daddy's just a bit of an idiot, that's all," she said as she rocked the child back into a peaceful slumber. He pouted at that, and was just about to retort when suddenly, she turned and bluntly asked, "So, what exactly did you need my help with?"

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><p><strong>This is where I could use your help. I'll be away for a few weeks, so I'll be able to read and possibly write, just not post. Please send me baby and or child problems he could go to Jackie with, things you may have faced as a parent, or have just seen or heard of second hand. This series will be ongoing, so mostly plotless and fluffy, with Doctor craziness thrown in.**


	4. New Experiences

He squirmed, debating whether his pride could handle admitting his lack of knowledge in certain areas.

"Well?" she repeated, pressing a small kiss to the baby's face as she stirred once more.

"Well..." he inhaled deeply, deciding his need for sleep and a less- deadly, less stressed River were worth any comment Jackie might make. "She's new, you see. Almost brand new. In fact, her mum barely let me take her out at all, only she was so tired she couldn't argue and... She hasn't really let me do things on my own yet."

"Spit it out, Doctor, I'm not gonna just wait all day," responded Jackie to his rambling.

"I don't know how to change her," the words tumbled out of his mouth. "And the burping, I read somewhere babies need help with that, and Amy's always brilliant with it, but River hasn't been able to do it herself, and it did not end well when I gave it a go, and what about the sleeping- it's like she doesn't realize when it's time to go to bed! And the throwing up- she tends to do that too, and she laughs at me, Jackie! Rory swears babies that young can't laugh, but she does, I hear it, all the time when I'm explaining my brilliant plans to her, and she always calls me "Take me to Mummy," how can I convince her my name's Daddy? And-"

"Wait a just a minute there- she calls you? What are you on about- is this some sort of alien thing again?" Jackie asked the Doctor in disbelief.

"Oh, I speak baby. Though, she's a little harder to understand. Not sure why- it's like she doesn't want me to always understand her, so sometimes she deliberately speaks gibberish. I never had this problem when I helped Craig with Stormageddon, though now, thinking on it, I shouldn't have been so hard on him. Poor bloke was way over his head, and he only had a human baby!"

"Right," said Jackie sceptically. Then she lifted the little girl up and smelled her. "She doesn't need a change yet, but give it another hour. Not much I can show you while she's sleeping- which she'll keep doing whenever she likes for a little while longer, and nothing you can say about it. As for the laughing at you, well, she's already smarter than her father."

"Oi!"

She looked down at the little girl in her arms, who had begun stirring more, soft little whimpers leaving her lips, "'ow long's she been away from that mother of 'ers then?"

"Oh, about an hour or two."

"Right," said Jackie, placing Bella firmly yet gently in the nervous Doctor's arms. "She'll probably be wanting a feed soon." She sighed, admiring the beautiful sleeper before shaking her head wistfully at the Doctor's hopelessness. "I'm normally here between four and six. Bring her 'round when you need to, and I'll do my best to help you out."

"You will?" he asked hopefully, reminding Jackie of a lost little puppy who had just found a home.

She stared down at Bella once more.

"Yeah. I know I'd be bonkers to tell you to come back tomorrow, Mr. It's been 12 months, but I should be home for a couple of hours each day. My Rose is 19 now, mind, so don't expect me to remember everything."

"No, of course not."

"And don't think this lets you off from studying your own baby- I expect you to learn as much as you can about her, not leavin' some poor woman out there to raise your daughter while you're on planet Kazooee or somethin, 'cause I can send you packing just as easy as a slap, are we clear?"

"I'll be there for her, with her all I can, I promise!" the Doctor agreed eagerly.

He had found himself unwilling to leave his daughter for longer than a few hours a day since she was born anyway- something that had surprised him nearly as much as it had his wife. He had recently found himself thinking that a supernova seemed quite boring compared to Bella yawning or blinking up at him, new monsters far more annoying than fascinating when they dared wake his sleeping baby. The spoilers he'd received years ago indicated there would be days eventually when he wouldn't need to constantly be in her immediate vicinity, but at the moment he honestly couldn't think of anything in the universe more fascinating than watching his baby breathe in, then out. He was addicted to her, and complying with Jackie's conditions was anything but difficult.

"Right," said Jackie once more, nodding as she walked the Doctor to the door. "And if you're going to be coming 'ere more often, you'd better bring supplies. I'm not just going to hold a screaming baby while you pop off to the market for four hours."

"Supplies- yes. I can do that," nodded the Doctor as he made a mental note, gratitude in every word.

"I'll see you soon, Miss Bella," said Jackie smiling, as she gave the baby's cheek one last loving stroke before the Doctor hurried out the door with a slowly waking infant, afraid that "Take me to Mummy" might fail his one and only task in time.

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><p><strong>AN- I know, it's been a while for this one, but there will be more. Also, it's the Doctor, so if you do have any suggestions for situations he'd need help with, don't worry what age his daughter would have to be, just keep them coming, and I'll see what I can do... Hope you enjoyed!  
><strong>


	5. Not So Quick, Just Dirty

"How did she get all of that in her?!" the Doctor asked, blanching once again.

"Same way you do," responded Jackie, with an impatient sigh.

"She _has to be_ bigger on the inside," he muttered, face scrunching at everything he was attempting to clean up. Bella was squirming as Jackie supervised, cooing at her keeping the baby's attention whilst the Time Lord struggled with one of the most unpredictable substances of his long life, delicately trying to simultaneously clean yet stay away from any mess his daughter had produced.

"Oh no! Oh no no no no no!" cried the Doctor, now looking at the dirtied spot on his sleeve. He stared at it mournfully, then began flailing and thrashing, attempting to rid himself of the garment. "Get... this... thing... off!" he said, throwing his jacket across the room, inspecting his shirtsleeve before rolling it up, preparing to give it one more go.

"I told you you should hold 'er legs- most babies won't just automatically stay still when they're getting changed. My Rose used to roll over completely, always wanting to see everything in the room. Of course little miss here's to young for that right now, but give it time- it gets much harder."

"It's so... blech!" he couldn't even finish his sentence tossing yet another wipe in the bin. Finally, after a long struggle involving much squirming (the Doctor) and a few tears (also the Doctor), Bella was clean and happy. The Doctor had just snapped the last popper on her tiny outfit closed, Jackie commending his performance as he brought his daughter close in his arms, when her small face scrunched up once more and a potent smell permeated the air.

Jackie bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing at the Doctor's mournful sob that died on his lips as he gave his _bundle of...joy_ a resigned, heartbroken, ironic chuckle as he laid her back down to begin the long process once again.

"How did you do this by yourself?" he asked wearily when he'd finally taken the full dirty bag out to the TARDIS for disposal, collecting his baby from Jackie's arms. "I've spent my entire life running, sleeping only the bare minimum, living off adrenaline. A few weeks of this _precious miracle_ and I can't tell whether I want to cry, scream, or nap. And I have a wife! And grandparents to help!"

Jackie smiled, remembering days long ago- sleepless, lonely nights in an empty bed with a husband who would never return and a baby who she had to work to support and raise all on her own.

"I cried quite a bit at first," she finally responded softly, startling the Doctor with the vulnerability in her voice. "Broke down on the street, at work, in the market. But Rose needed tending to. She needed someone to be there for her, and she didn't understand that mummy was tired, or sad, or so, so scared. So, one day I stopped crying, woke up, got dressed, fed, dressed and played with my daughter, worked, came 'ome, read to Rose, played until she fell asleep, cleaned the 'ouse, fell into bed, woke the next day and did it again. Because I didn't 'ave a choice, you see. I had my daughter. Pete's little Rose. My Rose. And she needed me to be so much stronger and braver and tougher than I'd ever thought I'd be. And so I was."

She was stroking the top of Bella's head, watching the little girl at peace in her daddy's arms. The Doctor was staring at Jackie with a look of newfound respect. Then he shook his head softly, composing himself when he raised his eyes to her face once more, quietly asking, "Does it ever get any easier?"

Jackie huffed out a small chuckle, then shrugged, her smile wide as her eyes remained fixed on Bella.

"Maybe. Or maybe you get so used to someone needing you, it just becomes your way of life. Then one very bittersweet day, if you've managed to do a decent job, they don't need you so much anymore. And then... you marvel at how it seems like only yesterday you were changing your first nappy and felt so lost and wondered whether you could really make it as a parent. And suddenly, that baby girl who completely changed everything you thought about life isn't a baby anymore. And you see everything she's become and think... it was all worth it."

The Doctor smiled, bringing his own baby girl up to hold her close to his chest, kissing her as he gently rocked her back and forth. He reached out and stroked her little hand, his smile widening as an impossibly tiny fist wrapped around his finger, clinging to him. And he knew he'd never want her to let go.

"You're incredible," he uttered in wonder, and Jackie was amazed to find his old, tired eyes fixed on her. She looked away, flattered, then patted Bella's back in farewell.

"So, I suppose I'll see you two later then?"

"Definitely. And soon I'll be an expert nappy-ier. Nappy-meister. The nap-Doctor. Forget I said that, that's rubbish, never even thinking that again." The Doctor said, Jackie loading up Bella's things in his arms as he held his hand out. Then he turned clumsily, making sure he wasn't leaving anything behind before nodding at her in gratitude. "Right. See you soon, Jackie. And thank you."

She simply shook her head fondly, watching him wobble unsteadily to the TARDIS, trying to keep his hold on baby supplies whilst keeping the baby secure in one arm. Then she closed the door, and smiled.

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><p><strong>AN- I know, I know- this was LONG overdue. But I haven't forgotten, just got sidetracked! Anyway, wow- also unintentionally became a tribute to single mothers. But that's okay, they definitely deserve praise. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


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